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The New York Yankees ink Yancarlos Baez

Baez is the most projectable of the Dominican infielders and has a higher ceiling defensively than any of them. He’s a wiry athletic body type, he’s long and rangy at 6-foot-2, 165-pounds. He was developed by Academia Josue Mateo in San Cristobal, DR, which is one of the more notable programs in the region.

Baez runs a 6.7 60-yard dash and should get faster as he gains some body strength, you can really see his speed and athletic ability on defense. He has an exceptional ability to accelerate through balls hit in front of him to cut off bad hops and shorten the distance on his throws. He is sometimes too quick on his release and can look a bit frenetic at times, but when he stays back and shows his arm strength it shows plus potential with a present 87 mph gun reading.

Baez is a switch-hitter who has similar swing mechanics and bat speed from both sides, with a bit of an edge on the right side at present. He currently lacks the upper body strength to drive the ball consistently but should continue to improve as he gets stronger.

Baez was selected to the 2012 DPL All-Star Game and DPL Elite Travel Team. The New York Yankees and Baez agreed to a contract value of $650,000.00. Congrats to the New York Yankees, Academia Josue Mateo and the Baez Family.